Thread: seeking advice on a suitable caliber and make/model

Welcome aboard. You seem to have answered your own question with regard to calibre so then it comes down to make and mode of the firearm you purchase. This is where you get to choose whatever you like as the simple reality in my experience is that most all rifles you can buy are capable of shooting far more accurately than the person that buys them

I would buy the 30 06 AI that is for sale here with reloading dies. Load up, load down or shoot factory 30 06 ammo. A lot of options

Reloadrs supplies are advertising Norma 7mm08 ammo. Buy 200 and use 150 on targets check recheck trajectory at altitudes and wind experience before shooting past 300m. Factory ammo will be just good enough but quite expensive to get the experience needed to use to 500m. Look at the “dinner plate challenge” thread.

Keep the 7m08 and buy some reloading gear. Then load good high BC bullets and you will easily keep 1000 ftlb of energy out to 500 mtr.
Just looked up some.
ie berger 168 gr G7 BC 0.316, launched at 2600 fps will hold 1000 ft lb of energy out to almost 700 mtr.
Hodgdon reloading data suggests speeds well over 2700 fps is possible with StaBALL6.5

Even factory 139 SST's super performance at 2950 fps still has 1200 ftlb at 500 mtr,
Should be fine for Reds and Tahr as long as you take sensible shots, ie don't attempt to shooten from behind.
Z

Buy 7-08 ammo from belmont. $2 per round and and you can sell ya brass too so it’s costing me $1.70 per round.
They do runs of 139gr sst rounds. Super consistent and shoots awesome in every rifle i’ve seen it go through.
Contact them on FB to see when the next run is, buy a box of 250 and you are set for ages.

A different take - go and see Dave Ward in Dovedale and get him to ream your 7-08 to .284 Win. Then but 100 Lapua brass and reloading gear and roll your own. Dave has done 2 x .284s for me and does good work.

.284 will give more velocity and range than 7-08 and less than 7RM, but will deal with anything in NZ comfortably.

Cartridge choice given what you already have is probably a pretty minor aspect of what you have in mind.
Perhaps our help with these sorts of questions could be better directed in emphasising the need for a sub-MOA rifle, and with a scope that dials consistently, making sure the load's capability is known (trajectory and terminal) and the ability to both determine and then apply look-ups for any distance where humane shots might reasonably be taken on game, and encourage folk that for every one bullet they let fly in the field, another ninety-nine should be going into targets for practise.

Originally Posted by Puffin

Cartridge choice given what you already have is probably a pretty minor aspect of what you have in mind.
Perhaps our help with these sorts of questions could be better directed in emphasising the need for a sub-MOA rifle, and with a scope that dials consistently, making sure the load's capability is known (trajectory and terminal) and the ability to both determine and then apply look-ups for any distance where humane shots might reasonably be taken on game, and encourage folk that for every one bullet they let fly in the field, another ninety-nine should be going into targets for practise.

Under that scenario I would go broke

I doubt there would be a hunter on this forum that would fire 99 bullets at targets for every 1 shot fired at game.

Originally Posted by 7mm Rem Mag

Under that scenario I would go broke

I doubt there would be a hunter on this forum that would fire 99 bullets at targets for every 1 shot fired at game.

Haha. You might be surprised.

The OP was wanting to stretch out to longer ranges — 500m. If we are discussing humane shots on larger game at 500m then I've seen little evidence on here or anywhere else online that it is anything other than a low single-digit percentage of hunters who would be able to achieve this. The logbook says I put 50 shots through my rifles on ranges for every one that goes into a deer, but I'm not intending to shoot live animals at 500 metres either.
This was the purpose of the dinner plate challenge. In my view if the OP puts a 10" plate out at 500m and can't hit it first shot with a 7mm-08 in field conditions, then the focus needs to be on something else other than a change in the cartridge. If no-one else felt the need to raise this — fine. I have.

I don't know what your 7-08 shoots like but mine would get me out to 800yds if I wanted. It'll shoot steel (30x30mm) at 1060yds and carry over 1000ftlbs out to almost 900yds with a 162gr pill.
Personally, 600yds would be my limit so don't go changing due to the chambering alone.
You may have other reasons to be looking at other rifles so with that said a 7RemMag is hard to go past.
If youre looking for something a little more comfortable to shoot then the 6.5s are great. Either a 6.5x284 or 6.5PRC will give a little more performance over the 7-08

7 rem mag for 500-600 yards.

No doubt 7 08 could do it but 7 rem does it much better. And much much better with any wind about.

Yeh- like some of the posters above- I went 300wsm- mostly cos my mates dad has one- lol- that's a bad joke, seriously it has a fair bit of safety margin/insurance out to 600m. Sure I could have used 708- 308-243- 280rem -270 that I've had prev-but 178grains at more than 2800 fps makes effing sure to a higher degree that you don't get walkoffs= spending hours looking for sick deer.
In your case I racoon, go the 7mmrm- or 300wsm or 270wsm or 300wm.
Insurance by the bucket loads.
I love insurance and not hunting for winged deers.

Originally Posted by Ginga

7 rem mag for 500-600 yards.

No doubt 7 08 could do it but 7 rem does it much better. And much much better with any wind about.

This man knows the truth.

Originally Posted by Puffin

The OP was wanting to stretch out to longer ranges — 500m. If we are discussing humane shots on larger game at 500m then I've seen little evidence on here or anywhere else online that it is anything other than a low single-digit percentage of hunters who would be able to achieve this. The logbook says I put 50 shots through my rifles on ranges for every one that goes into a deer, but I'm not intending to shoot live animals at 500 metres either.
This was the purpose of the dinner plate challenge. In my view if the OP puts a 10" plate out at 500m and can't hit it first shot with a 7mm-08 in field conditions, then the focus needs to be on something else other than a change in the cartridge. If no-one else felt the need to raise this — fine. I have.

AMEN to that......its why I just dont go out past 350ish I know my limits and without rangefinder etc the guesswork is just not cricket.